I thought about writing about maximizing the calories per dollar. However, I couldn’t, in good conscience, completely ignore the health aspect. Lazy Man and Health is already unhappy with me with it’s hiatus. So I make a point to offer a “more healthy” option… not necessarily actually healthy. Call it a bit of a compromise.
That said, here are six fast food restaurants and my selections for the best value menu options:
McDonald’s Dollar Menu
The Value: McDouble – This burger had 390 calories – enough to be a meal in itself for a lot of people. While it does have 19 grams of fat, it does have 22 grams of protein and 33 grams of carbs. That sounds pretty close to the Zone diet for me.
The Healthy Option: McDouble – I couldn’t find a good healthy option on McDonald’s value menu. It might be a surprise with the Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait sitting there, but I’m a protein-focused guy and the parfait is pretty much empty there. It also has nearly as many carbs as the McDouble. I’d nominate the McChicken as a runner up. It has more carbs and less protein and fat than the McDouble, but it seems like a decent option. Then again it made the top 5 worst foods according to The Cancer Project.
Watch Out For… the Double Cheeseburger – McDonald’s used to have the double cheeseburger on the dollar menu. Near me they moved that to their regular menu and raised the price to $1.29. In it’s place, they’ve added the aforementioned McDouble. It’s the same burger with one slice of cheese instead of the double cheeseburger’s two. So an extra slice of cheese raises the price by 29%… Hmmm, I think the McDouble works for me. And while I think McDonald’s is sneaky here, they talk about the McDouble vs. the double cheeseburger very openly.
Burger King’s Value Menu
The Value: Whopper Jr. – At 370 calories, it can substitute as a meal itself as well.
The Healthy Option: Whopper Jr. – The 21 grams of fat, 16 grams of protein, 40 grams of carbs doesn’t stand up to the McDouble. It’s really not that healthy of an option. You’ll note that I left off the side salad.
Watch Out For… The Side Salad – The side salad seems to have 40 calories… While it may have been a better option for the healthy choice, I’d need to eat 8 salads before I get close to approaching a meal. There’s not a lot of value in an $8 dollar fast food salad.
Random useless fact: Did you know that Burger King is called Hungry Jacks in Australia? I thought there was some massive trademark infridgement involved when I went “down under.”
Wendy’s Super Value Menu
The Value: Grilled Chicken Go Wrap – Though the Double Stack’s 360 calories is probably more for you money, I’m going with the 260 calorie Grilled Chicken Go Wrap. The reason is that it has 17 grams of protein to 11 grams of fat. If you opt for two of them, you have a 34 gram protein meal with 22 grams of fat. It’s just a better ratio than the Double Stack’s 23 protein to 18 fat ratio.
The Healthy Option: Grilled Chicken Go Wrap – All in all, it’s very close, but I’m going with the Grilled Chicken Go Wrap. It was healthy enough to get the value call above despite being a 100 fewer calories than the Double Stack.
Watch Out For… Mayonnaise and Honey Mustard Sauce – If you take the Honey Mustard Sauce out of the Grilled Chicken Go Wrap, you can get it to 220 calories, 17 grams of protein and 8 grams of fat. It will take you $2 to get up to a meal, but it will be amongst the healthier value meal options.
Taco Bell’s “Why Pay More?”
The Value: Cheesy Double Beef Burrito – Taco Bell has quite a few options that would qualify, but there’s no mistaking the value of the Cheesy Double Beef Burrito. It’s a whopping 460 calories for 89 cents (in most locations). While the protein and fat are both around 20 grams doesn’t make it the healthiest meal, it’s not horrible. At least that’s my opinion, but the The Cancer Project also had this on their unhealthy menu.
The Healthy Option: Taco Bell Fresco Menu – The whole Taco Bell Fresco Menu scored major points from me in the past by offering a whole menu of items. My pick is the Fresco Bean Burrito. It has a 330 calories, 11 grams of protein, with 9 grams of fat and fiber.
Watch Out For… Triple Layer Nachos – With 18 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein, it’s a tough pick. It does have some guacamole which will have good fat from avocados, but I still don’t think that saves it.
Kentucky Fried Chicken
The Value: Buffalo Original Recipe Snacker – My research seems to show that their value menu was announced in February earlier this year. The KFC Snacker Sandwiches seems to be a bit of a disappointing deal for $1. It maxes out at 320 calories (the fish version – are you really going to eat fish at KFC?) and averages around 265 calories. You may need to order two.
The Healthy Option: Buffalo Original Recipe Snacker – At 240 calories it’s a little light on value, but it does have 15 grams of protein and only 7 grams of fat. The sodium is the highest at 710mg, but let’s gloss over that.
Watch Out For… The Prices – With no value item over the 320 calories (that I could find), you might have to augment it with two items. From a calorie per dollar perspective, I think you can do better at other places.
Special Note: Today you can stop in and can grab a piece of free Kentucky Grill Chicken.
Jack in the Box
(Note: I only added this regional chain because there are a ton near me.)
I’m not a fan of Jack in the Box’s marketing campaign – they had their mascot hit by a bus during the Super Bowl. I wanted to boycott them for that kind of craziness, but there’s a very, very convenient Jack in the Box on my way to work. They also offer their whole menu at any time.
The Value: The Big Cheeseburger – I get it without the mayo sauce. Even without it, the Big Cheeseburger is 550 calories – more than enough for a meal for me. It’s not particularly healthy – the value here is a big meal for $1.29 (the price near me).
The Healthy Option: The Big Cheeseburger with no Bun or Sauce – I’m not happy with any of the Jack in the Box options… I found nothing that close to healthy on the value menu. They have options off the value menu, but that’s off topic. I’m not even happy with this call as it has 25 grams of fat and only 15 grams of protein. At least it comes in at 309 calories and only 5 carbs for those Atkins followers.
Watch Out For… Your Heart – The prices are decent, but the nutrition is a little lacking. While fast food is almost a “sometimes food”… it seems that it’s true for Jack in the Box even more than other fast food places.
Photo Credit: Blyzz